The present invention relates generally to a method of making food products from a bird and, more particularly, to a method of making boneless food products from the thigh of a bird and the food products made in accordance with the method.
Birds, such as poultry and fowl, are conventionally eviscerated, dressed and sold either as a whole bird or as severed parts, i.e., breasts, wings, etc. One of the parts which is often separated and sold is the upper portion of the bird leg generally referred to as the thigh. Typically, thighs are sold with the skin in place and with the thigh meat surrounding an elongated bone generally extending along the middle of the thigh from one end of the thigh to the other end.
In recent years, there has been an increasing demand for innovative meat products, particularly products which require less time for preparation and which include little or no waste. There has also been an increasing demand for meat products which are boneless or substantially boneless, making such products easier to consume. Hence, products such as boneless chicken breasts, chicken tenders, etc. have enjoyed great commercial success. Other innovative products comprising “finger food” such as hot wings, buffalo wings, etc. have also obtained enhanced popularity for the respective parts from which they are prepared.
Until recently, some bird parts such as thighs have not been particularly amenable to such enhanced commercial processing and/or preparation methods for a variety of reasons related to the type of meat (dark versus light), the size and centralized location of the bone, etc. The present invention comprises a method of making unique food products from thigh meat. The food products are boneless and relatively small in size and therefore are easily consumable as “finger food”.